Seed boot restrictor for seed drills

ABSTRACT

In a seed drill of the type wherein a bladelike furrow opener is carried at the lower end of and in front of the seed tube, and pairs of rotating packer wheels receive a portion of the seed tube and furrow opener between them, this invention provides a guide means extending downward from the frame to keep the seed tube from swinging or twisting into engagement with the packer wheels. The guide means consists of a forked member fixed to the frame and having its lower portions extending down in front of the packer wheels along the sides of the seed tube and across the tube inhibiting transverse movement of the tube to such extent as to bring the tube into contact with the packer wheels. The seed tube is free to move up and down between the portions of the guide for adjustment of depth of planting of the seed and for transport and is protected against wear by engagement with the rotating packer wheels in all of its positions.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Archie D. Staley Rte 1; Ernest G. Stoess, P.O. Box 656, Washtucna, Wash. 99371 [21] Appl. No. 759,439 [22] Filed Sept. 12, 1968 [45] Patented Mar. 2, 1971 [54] SEED BOOT RESTRICTOR FOR SEED DRILLS 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

3,319,590 5/1967 Zimmerman 3,394,668 7/1968 l-lyland 111/85 Ill/85 ABSTRACT: In a seed drill of the type wherein a bladelike furrow opener is carried at the lower end of and in front of the seed tube, and pairs of rotating packer wheels receive a portion of the seed tube and furrow opener between them, this invention provides a guide means extending downward from the frame to keep the seed tube from swinging or twisting into engagement with the packer wheels. The guide means consists of a forked member fixed to the frame and having its lower portions extending down in front of the packer wheels along the sides of the seed tube and across the tube inhibiting transverse movement of the tube to such extent as to bring the tube into contact with the packer wheels. The seed tube is free to move up and down between the portions of the guide for adjustment of depth of planting of the seed and for transport and is protected against wear by engagement with the rotating packer wheels in all of its positions.

PATENTED MAR 21971 sum 1 or 2 INVENTORS D. .9

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SEED BOOT RESTRICTOR' FOR SEED DRILLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The utilization of a furrow opener and seed tube in .com-

bination with a pair of presser wheels on opposite sides of and overlapping the seed tube and the shank of the furrow opener so as to bring the packer wheels in proximity to the point of seed planting and to prevent trashlodging on the furrow opener shank has been shown in the Zimmerman U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,177,830 and 3,319,590 and-the'Loomans U.S. Pat. No.

however, merely transfer the wearing action of the packer wheel edges from the shank proper to an intermediate member or members.

\ PURPOSE OF THEINVENTION The present invention is directed to providing a guide means, out of position where it might contact with the packer wheels and free of the furrow opener shank and seed tube in order to not impede raising an lowering of the furrow opener, so that the shank and tube cannot be worn by rubbing engagement with the rim edges of the packer wheels.

More specifically this invention provides fixed guides on both sides of the seed tube-shank unit, which extend lengthwise along the unit for a substantial distance and which extend across the unit so as to restrain it from excessive transverse movement or twisting that would bring it into wearing engagement with the adjacent edgesof the packer wheels.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seed drill having a plurality of furrow opener-seed tube-packer wheel assemblies thereon, each of which is protected by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a face viewbf one of the guide means removed from the seed'drill;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a portion of the drill showing a pair of packer wheel-seed tube assemblies equipped with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional viewtaken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

' Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates fixed thereto. These packer wheels are of the structure shown in the Zimmerman U.S. Pat. No- 3,319,590. Afurrowopener is carried upon a lower end of aseed tube-shank member 16 which is in turn supported on therear end of an arm 17 which is pivoted between two levers 18 and 19 by a pivot pin 20. The arm 17 is held rigid with the levers 18 and 19 by a shear pin 21 located forwardly of the pivot 20. In such a seed drill as this the furrow opener is raised and lowered by a mechanism such as that shown in FIG. 1 of the Zimmerman U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,590.

The guide means 22 of the present invention consists of two portions or elements 22a and 22b which are fixed to the framework 11 in longitudinal alignment with the packer wheels and which straddle the member 16 so it is slidable up and down therebetween with a clearance of no more than onesixteenth inch. The portions are bars 22a and 22b that extend tion of its length. They cross the member 16 with their lower ends in front of the member 16 and their upper ends behind it.

The spacing between the bars 22a and 22b is less than the spacing between the packer wheels 14.

The guide means 22 includes a crossbar 22c joining the bars 22a and 22b together just above and to the rear of the member 16. The means 22 extends upward and has a mounting head 23 at its upper end. This head 23 is shown as a flat plate adapted to engage crossbars 24 that form part of the framework 11. The head 23 is clamped against the bars 24 by a top plate 25 and four bolts 26. It will be appreciated that any suitable head construction that can secure the guard means 22 rigidly to the framework 11 is sufficient. The necessary requirement is that the guide means 22 be secured on the framework so that it cannot move axially with respect to the packer wheels 14.

We prefer to make the bars 22a and 22b of rectangular cross section with flat surfaces facing each other, and of substantial width as shown in FIG. 2 so they'are quite rigid. The cross bar 220 aids in preventing any vibration of the guide means 22 in a plane parallel to the packer wheel shaft 13.

With the guide means 22 applied to fit down over each of the individual seed tube-shank members 16 the lateral deflections of the members 16, as the furrow openers 15 are forced through the soil, are kept so small as to prevent contact between the edges of the packer wheels 14 and the member 16.

Thus with guide means 22 the problemof wear of the seed tube by the packer wheels is substantially eliminated.

l-Iaving described our invention, we claim:

We claim:

1. In a seed drill having:

a. a drill frame that is movable over the direction;

b. a pair of transversely spaced packer wheels rotatably mounted to the drill frame for engaging the soil;

c. a seed tube-shank member mounted to the drill frame and extending downward toward the soil between the spaced packer wheels;

d. a furrow opener carried by the seed tube-shank member for engaging the soil forward of the packer wheels; and further comprising the improvement of:

e. a guide means affixed to the drill frame for limiting the transverse movement of the seed tube-shank member in relation to the spaced packer wheels to prevent the seed tube-shank member from rubbing against the packer wheels as the seed drill is moved over the soil, said guide means being aligned with the packer wheels and having;

f. a mounting head rigidly affixed to the drill frame; and

g. spaced elongated parallel elements that extend from the mounting head and straddle the'seed tube-shank member without engaging the packer wheels, in which the spacing between the elements is less than the spacing between the packer wheels to prevent the seed tube-shank member from engaging the packer wheels.

2. In the seed drill as defined in claim '1 wherein the mounting head'comprises a plate bolted to part of the drill frame in longitudinal alignment with the packer wheels.

3. In the seed drill as defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means comprises two spaced bars having flat surfaces facing each other that are spaced less than the spacing between the packer wheels.

4. In a seed drill as defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means comprises two bars connected to said mounting head and further connected to each other at a distance from the mounting head. I

5. In a seed drill as defined in claim 1 wherein the elements straddle the seed tube-shank member above the packer wheels.

soil in a longitudinal 

1. In a seed drill having: a. a drill frame that is movable over the soil in a longitudinal direction; b. a pair of transversely spaced packer wheels rotatably mounted to the drill frame for engaging the soil; c. a seed tube-shank member mounted to the drill frame and extending downward toward the soil between the spaced packer wheels; d. a furrow opener carried by the seed tube-shank member for engaging the soil forward of the packer wheels; and further comprising the improvement of: e. a guide means affixed to the drill frame for limiting the transverse movement of the seed tube-shank member in relation to the spaced packer wheels to prevent the seed tube-shank member from rubbing against the packer wheels as the seed drill is moved over the soil, said guide means being aligned with the packer wheels and having; f. a mounting head rigidly affixed to the drill frame; and g. spaced elongated parallel elements that extend from the mounting head and straddle the sEed tube-shank member without engaging the packer wheels, in which the spacing between the elements is less than the spacing between the packer wheels to prevent the seed tube-shank member from engaging the packer wheels.
 2. In the seed drill as defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting head comprises a plate bolted to part of the drill frame in longitudinal alignment with the packer wheels.
 3. In the seed drill as defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means comprises two spaced bars having flat surfaces facing each other that are spaced less than the spacing between the packer wheels.
 4. In a seed drill as defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means comprises two bars connected to said mounting head and further connected to each other at a distance from the mounting head.
 5. In a seed drill as defined in claim 1 wherein the elements straddle the seed tube-shank member above the packer wheels. 